Why We Should Cut Foreign Aid To the Middle East

You’ve no doubt heard this quip: Foreign aid is taking from poor people in a rich country and giving it to rich people in a poor country. It’s nothing short of international welfare. Conservatives are traditionally opposed to national welfare and state-wide welfare. How much more should we be opposed to international welfare? Does foreign aid even accomplish its stated goals? Has giving more money to dictators that we helped prop up actually helped to stabilize the region or just make matters worse?

Kentucky Senator Rand Paul wants to cut foreign aid to Libya, Egypt and Pakistan. He’s been pushing his bill S. 3576 for weeks now and threatened to tie up other pending legislation in a filibuster until his bill got discussion and a vote. He said from the Senate floor, “Some argue that without foreign aid we’ll have war. I’m arguing that because of foreign aid we have war.” Further, he said, “In no way should the United States government be sending money to governments who are not our ally, who blatantly do not respect our country, and who work to compromise the safety of our allies and citizens abroad.”

One of Paul’s more outspoken critics was South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. He said that we should continue to engage the Middle East and that he trusts that the money is going to the right people in that region. He argued, “The people I want to give the aid to and support to are the ones that I have some hope that I can live with in peace. The radical Islamists know that they cannot win if we stay in the region.”

Where is the Constitutional justification for foreign aid? On what moral grounds can our government take from us in taxes to give to foreign countries in order to fulfill its own geopolitical agenda? How can we even spend money on foreign aid when we are $16 trillion in debt? Don’t we have other priorities?

It’s not like money is going to feed starving children, even though that’s how it is always sold to people. Money goes to fund “fair and democratic elections,” where we try to get our dictator of choice elected. Once the dictator is elected, we continue to give funding to him to spend on his military, his weaponry or just to support his own lavish lifestyle. As long as he gets money from us, he’ll be our “ally,” and he’ll do as we tell him. If he starts to deviate from the path our government has prescribed for him, our government starts to make things difficult for him and eventually turn him into our enemy. Through a CIA-assisted military coup, we oust him and replace him with another who is more easily bought.

But this creates problems for us because the citizens in these countries don’t appreciate our government getting so involved in their political affairs and choosing their leaders for them. To them, that’s not very “fair and democratic.” They want to be able to elect their own leaders in the same way we elect our own leaders here. But politicians here are concerned that if we let these Middle Eastern citizens choose for themselves, our government might not be able to control their elected leaders.

I just found out Senator Paul’s bill didn’t do so well. Only 9 other senators voted for the legislation to cut foreign aid to Libya, Egypt and Pakistan. You’d think that after the recent attacks and violence in the Middle East that our representatives would think twice about continuing to give funding to dictators who really aren’t our friends. Especially considering that Libyan officials may have been involved in the U.S. Consulate attack. They took money from us in foreign aid only to spend it on orchestrating an attack against us. Is this a policy that makes sense?

Who are those 9 Senators that voted with Sen. Paul? Why do I ask? Because I’ve got one monstrous beef with those remaining 90 anti-Americans masquerading as representatives of the American people.

Victor Magilke

That’s two of us Roy. I saw an interview sometime back with Rand Paul on CNN. He told the interviewer that we should cut off all foreign aid to include Israel. He said, “America is borrowing money to pay our bills, we shouldn’t be giving money to anyone until we have our own house in order.” I agree with Rand Paul.

TOO INFORMED

Financial aid to the Middle East only promotes terrorism AGAINST America. Those dirty filthy muslim countries use OUR (American) money to buy education, technology and weapons to use AGAINST America. Our government is supporting terrorism AGAINST America. No wonder 47% refuse to pay taxes…it all goes to support TERRORISM AGAINT AMERICA.
Invest in America, buy guns & ammo; lots and lots of ammo.
Help save America, shoot a muslim.

american joe

That down vote (above) MUST be a dirty filthy muslim Ovomit supporter. DEATH TO ISLAM. DEATH TO ALL MUSLIMS.

http://www.facebook.com/steve.atkinson.948 Steve Atkinson

paul is right and that idiot graham is wrong. cut foreign aid now! why continue to feed our enemies?

Victor Magilke

Rand Paul is a true statesman and a Patriot. He and Rubio are the future of the republican party. That is unless they join the third party movement.

Victor Magilke

Ron Paul has tried to convince congress to cut off all foreign aid for over a decade. But both sides of the aisle have opposed him. Both Ron Paul and his son Rand Paul have stated many times, with our suffering economy and threats of terrorism, we should cut off all foreign aid, bring our troops home, and deploy them on our Southern Border where they are needed, to keep out terrorists.
Sarah Palin has finally joined Ron Paul. She echoed the comments that Ron Paul has been campaigning on, on Fox News. ” America should not shed anymore blood for problems in the middle east, we should cut off foreign aid and bring our troops home where they are needed.”

http://www.facebook.com/blkcatwm.caroline Blkcatwm Caroline

I looked up on the senate website as to who voted against the bill and my own Senators from AZ voted against it! I emailed them both and told them off. It’s time they are replaced by younger and more Constitutional Republicans aka Tea Party people. I don’t understand why they aren’t voting for what the People want! If they know something that we don’t know, then they need to explain it to us. I for one, am tired of the Islamists and our pandering to them. Hit them where it hurts! In the pocketbook for starters! Then if that doesn’t work, then it’s time to annialate them! No More PC!

Mudpuppy

We should do the following (in no particular order):
1. Stop ALL foreign aid to Muslim countries (and most of the rest of the world). They are awash in oil money and those that aren’t can get help from those that are (and I don’t care whether they help each other or not. NOT my problem).
2. Close ALL embassies and consulates in Muslim countries. Those savages are not worth our time or effort. If they want to kill each other, stand back and watch and cheer them on.
3. Encourage strong men to take over Muslim countries. They can’t handle democracy and need to be ruled by dictatorial leaders of the nominally secular type. They tend to keep a lid on most of the barbarity.
4. Make Islam illegal in America (it is an anit-American, anti-freedom
system), deport Muslims and confiscate all mosques. De-mosque-ify them
if possible, if not destroy them.
5. STOP PANDERING to those barbaric, blood-thirsty savages.
6. Take enough oil from Iraq (on our way out) to pay for the cost of the
war there and in Afghanistan plus about 25% for good measure.
7. Exploit our own resources, drill our own oil (in Alaska and off-shore and anywhere else it is to be found).

Giving aid to Muslim countries is akin to giving aid to Nazi Germany or Japan in 1942.

I do believe we should support Israel, but such support should not be open-ended nor blind. They are the only nation in the ME capable of being a democracy and they are on the front line in the war against Islam.

I listened to and watch Rand Paul’s speech on this and also on how to fix social Security on youtube. Everyone who call themselves a patriot need to do the same. Finally, another statesman instead of just another politician in congress.

sandraleesmith46

Sure it’s going to the “right” place, IF by that you mean it’s buying the weapons with which they will turn and attack US! We can’t afford to support the world any longer; calling us a “rich” nation, when we’re 16+ trillion IN THE HOLE is a JOKE! We need to look after our own problems FIRST, and the rest of the world should do LIKEWISE!

CaptTurbo

I’m for discontinuing all foreign aid and ending all funding for the UN.

Richard Diaz, Sr.

What is it with our brain-dead politicians that enjoy giving our hard-earned tax dollars to regimes to enjoy exploiting us? Why is our tax dollars going to Muslim countries so they can build their mosques and repair others? What kind of outrageous stupid insanity is that? Please America wake up and vote these idiots out of office, their killing us and they don’t need bullets to do it. These middle-east countries hate our guts but they sure do enjoy taking our money and who knows what their doing with it. One thing for sure, they will NEVER TELL US and our do nothing politicians don’t seem to care. God help us, for He is the only one who can.